Electric glow-lamp.



J. VAN VLECK.

No. 644,785. Patented Mar. 6, |900.

ELECTRIC GLOW LAMP.

(Application filed June 8, 1899.)

(No Model.)

W/TNESSES.

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rTn STATES PATENT Orrrcn.

JOHN VAN VLEOK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO CHRISTOPHER D. SMITHERS, OF SAME PLACE.

Lr-:c'rmc GLOW-LAMP.

srncrrrca'rloiv forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,78 @eaten March rec.

l Application filed June 8, 1899. Serial No. 719,768. (No inodel.)

To` @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN VAN VLncK, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Glow-Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of electric glow-lamps in which the light is emitted from a body of refractory material which at normal temperatures is a non-'conductor, but which upon being heated to a certain point becomes a conductor and is thus rendered incandescent by the passage of the current.

The mode of organization of my invention consists in combining with such a non-conducting body a device for heating the same, which device consists, substantially, in a body of highly-resisting material fixed in position with reference to said first-named non-conducting body and rendered incandescent by the passage of the electric current through it and means for cutting out said heating body when said rst-named non-conducting body shall have become heated to a point sufficient to render it a conductor.

My invention further consists in the novel features of vconstruction of the lamp herein described, as more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of my lamp, showing certain parts in vertical section; and Fig. 2 is an electrical diagram showing the circuit connections therein.

Similar numbers and letters of reference indicate like parts.

The term glower7 hereinafter used for brevity means a body of non-conducting material which is raised in temperature by the heater, and thus becomes a conductor and permits the passage of the electrical current, which causes it to glow.

The term heater hereinafter used means a device whereby the glower, normally nonconducting, is elevated in temperature, so'as to become a conductor of the electrical current.

Referring first to the electrical diagram Fig. 2, u is the glower, here shown in the form of a rod of suitable refractory material, which may be, for example, magnesia. b b is the heater, which maybe a filament of carbon or other electrical conductor of high resistance disposed in such proximity to the glower a as that the glower will become raised in temperature by the radiation from said heater. The plus circuit-terminal connects directly by the conductor c with one end of the glower a.. The other end of the glower connects by the wire cl with the coil e of an electromaguet 'or sucking solenoid, and so with the minus circuitterminal at f. One end of the heater b b connects with the wire c. The other end connects with a wire g to a leaf-spring h, which makes electrical contact with the end of the armature t' of the coil c. The armature t' is supported by a spiral spring j, which communicates with the circuit-wire f.

The operation of the parts represented. in the diagram is therefore as follows: The circuit proceeds from the plus terminal through the wire c and thence through the heater b b to the Wire g, the contact-spring h, the armature z', the supporting-spring j therefor, and y the wire f to the negative terminal. In this way the heater b h is elevated in temperature and its heat is radiated to the glower a, which also becomes elevated in temperature to a degree sufficient to enable it to conduct the current. The current then passes from the wire c through the glower d, rendering the same incandescent, and thence proceeds to the electromagnetic coil c through the wire f and negative terminal. The coil e thus becomes energized and draws the cylindrical rod forming part of its armature 'L' into its core, lifting said armature, and in that way breaking contact between the end of the armature andthe contact-spring h. In this way circuit is broken through the heater, which, therefore, no longer operates, but circuit continues through the glower a, which remains incandescent, and, as is well known, gives out a brilliant light. When circuit is broken to extinguish the light, the electromagnet e is of course denergized, and the armature drops by gravity or the action of its supportingspring, or both, again into contact with the leaf-spring 71,.

l is a tubular socket having its central aperture screw-threaded for attachment to any suitable support. The inner lower pe- IOO riphery of the socket 1 is threaded to receive the correspondingly-threaded periphery of the metal cylindrical shell 2. The lower portion of shell 2 is also threaded to engage with the threaded interior of the ring 3, which ring is provided with a shoulder or ange 4. Resting on this shoulder or flange is a disk 5 of insulating material, the said disk lying between the shoulder 4 and the lower edge of the shell 2. Above the disk 5 and within the shell 2 is a lining 6, also of insulating material. Within the socket 1 and resting upon the lining 6 and the shell 2 is a ring 7 of insulating material. The lining 6 is internally shouldered at 8, and upon said shoulder rests the cylinder 9 of magnetic material, The upper end of cylinder 9 is closed, and through its central portion extends the threaded end 10 of the tubular core 11 of magnetic material.

Within the cylinder 9 and inclosing the coil e is an electromagnetic coil 12. The armature consists of a cylindrical portion or plunger z' and a disk portion 17, which is secured to the plunger t' by means of the convex-headed screw 18. Connected with the upper end of the plunger t' is a spiral spring j, the upper end of which connects to the clamping-screw 15, which passes through the cap 16, which cap is secured to the upper end of the coil e. 17Which fits in the interior of the insulating lining 6, and completes the magnetic circuit With the cylinder 9.

Extending through the disk 5 of insulating material are two pins 19 and 20. The pin 19 secures in place a leaf-spring 72, against which the screw 18 at the end of the armature-plungert'bears. The pin 2O is provided with a clamping-nut on its upper end to receive the circuit-wire, as indicated by dotted lines. The pin 19 on the lower side of disk 5 carries a metal block 22, and the pin 20 carries a similarmetalblock23. Extendingdownward from each of these blocks are metal hooks 24 and 25. Depending downward from the ring 3 are two rods- 2G and 27, the rod 26 being tubular. The lower ends of these rods turn inward and are secured to a hollow spherical piece 28. In the upper side of the piece 28 is an internally-threaded aperture to receive the flanged sleeve 29 of insulating material. Through this sleeve passes the headed pin 30. The pin 30 on its upper end carries a spiral spring 31, terminating in a hook, and at its lower end, within the spherical piece 28, the pin 30 is provided with clamping-nuts 32. There is an opening in the lower side of piece 28, which is closed by the screw-plug 34 is a bulb of glass, in .which there may preferably be a vacuum. Vithin the bulb at each end thereof are the supports 35 and 36, which are of solid glass at their ends.

a is the glower, the extremities of which are connect-edV to wires sealed, respectively,v in the solid glass ends of the supports 35 and 36 and provi-ded with the eyes 38 and 39.y The The plunger t' carries the disk eye 39 engages with'the hook 25 on the lower' side of block 23. The eye 38 engages with the hook on the end of the spring 31.

The heater within the bulb consists of two or more filaments of refractory material disposed in proximity to the glower a. Four of such filaments-namely, 40, 4l, 42, and 43- are here shown. They may be arranged with respect to the glower in any suitable way so long as their proximity thereto is suitable to cause the glower to be heated by their radiation when they are traversed and rendered incandescent by the current.

44 is a wire provided with an eye 45, which eye 45 engages with the hook 24. The wire 44 is sealed in the solid glass portion of support 35 and connects with the heater filament 40.

46 isa bent wire having its bent portion sealed in the solid-glass portion of support 36, outside of which it is formed in the shape of 'spiral coils, as shown, with its ends connecting, respectively, to the heater filaments 40 and 41. 47 is a similar bent wire sealed in the part 36, as before, and having its ends cona nected, respectively, to the heater filaments 42 and 43. The upper ends of the heat-er filaments 41 and 42 are connected by a wire 48, the bent portion of which is sealed in the solid-glass portion of support 35. From the upper end of heater Iilament 43 a wire 49 eigtends into the solid-glass portion of support 35, in which it is sealed, and connects with the wire 39, which leads to the end of the glower a. The wire which leads from the end of glower a to the eye 38 is formed in the shape of a spiral spring over a portion of its length at 50, as shown. By reason of the spiral portions of wires 46, 47, and 50 acting as springs slightly under tension the supporting-wire of the glower and also the heating filaments 40, 41, 42, and 43 are kept taut. It will further be observed that the heating la ments 40, 41, 42, and 43 are connected in series.

The bulb 34 is supported by the engage ment of the eyes 45 and 39 with the hooks 24 and 25 and also by the engagement of the hook on the end of spring 31 with the eye 38. This spring 31 being 'also under tension -causes the bulb to be retained with sufficient firmness in its proper position.

To avoid ambiguity, it is to be understood that the heater represented by 40 41 42 43 corresponds to the heater represented by b b in Fig. 2. It is further to be understood that the circuit connections shown in Fig. 1 are the same in substance as those shown in Fig. 2. There are, however, certain details exhibitedin Fig. 1, to which I will now refer.

The plus leading-in wire c in Fig. 1 is connected by the clamping-nuts shown to the upper end of the pin20. Circuit then proceeds to the block 23, hook 25, supporting-eye 39, and so to the glower a, then to the spring 31 and the pin 30. To the lower end of this piny is connected by the clamping-,nuts 32 the IOC IIC

wire 7o, which connects with the magnet-coil e. rl`he other terminal of the magnet-coil connects by the Wire f to the negative terminal. The Wire k, it Will be noticed, passes through an aperture in the disk 5. Following non the heater-circuit, this proceeds by the wire c to the Wire 49, Which is sealed Within the bulb 34, thence through the heater filaments 43 42 41 40 in series, and so to the block 22, spring 71 and armature t' and spring j to the wire f and negative terminal. The operation of the parts is as already described in connection with Fig. 2-that is to say, the current lirst passes through the heater ilaments 40 41 42 43 until the temperature of the glower a is suiiiciently'raised, and after that the current passes through the glcwer and electromagnetcoil,which, operating, breaks circuit at the spring 7L, and thus cuts out the heater filaments.

There are certain special details of construction of this lamp to which attention may now be called. The socket 1 and ring 3 may be easily unscrewed from the shell 2. The upper insulating-ring 7is then easily removable and after that the electromagnet and its associate parts. In this Way the electrical mechanism of the apparatus is easily got at for purposes of assembling or repairs. Access to the lower connection 32 is obtained by removing the screw-plug 33. The presence of an exhausted bulb is not essential unless` the heater be a filament of material which is readily oxidizable in the atmosphere, such as a filament of carbon. It is to be understood, therefore, that I may or may not use an eX- hausted bulb, as occasion may require. When the bulb is not exhausted, it is simply a protection of the heater and glower, and there -may be circumstances When it may be omit- -in order to protect them.

I claiml. The combination of an inclosing translua cent envelop, a glower and an electric heater in proximity thereto within said envelop, the said heater consisting of a plurality of iilaments in series, and circuit connections for said glower and filaments sealed in the substance oi' said envelop, substantially as de` scribed.

2. The combination with the inclosing trans lucent envelop 34 having solid portions 35 and 36 of the gloWer a and a plurality of heating filaments Within said envelop and circuit con; nections for said glower and laments sealed in said solid portions, substantially as de;

scribed. .v

JOHN VAN VLECK; Witnesses:

W. F. WELLS, G-Eo. A. ORRoK.

It is preier- 

